Seto and Kisara: The Courtship
by Peach Wookiee
Summary: Set during and after the events of "Whisper." Seto and Kisara kissed after she witnessed the brutal death of Joey Wheeler's father. But did that necessarily translate into happily ever after? Did knowing they had a past life together mean that they have a future in this one? Follow their tales here. Thanks to DancingKirby for her inspiration! T but may rise to M.
1. Prologue: At the Beginning With You

Prologue: At the Beginning with You

_Hello again, _Yu-Gi-Oh _fans! It's Peach Wookiee again with a new tale for your enjoyment. This series is in the _Whisper _continuity, for those of you keeping track. In the past few months, I've been editing some other tales and working on the completion of others. But this tale came to me while reading DancingKirby's _Avatar: The Last Airbender _series, _Short Stories about Azula._ Unlike my tales, DancingKirby's series don't tend to follow chronological order. So I'm writing this particular story set without paying attention to chronology. So thanks to DancingKirby for her inspiration!_

_ As usual, I don't own _Yu-Gi-Oh_ or its related characters. I just like playing around with ideas in the universe. This series will show the development of Seto and Kisara's relationship in this timeline, but not in chronological order. It is also dubverse with my own modifications. Enjoy!_

_ Author's note: Yes, I am poking fun at convention in romance fics. I think Seto and Kisara would still take time to get to know each other, even if there's attraction. Thank you!_

The late June breeze tickled at Seto Kaiba's ruddy brown hair. He admitted to himself that it had been quite a month. His biggest rival and friend had tried to kill himself, said rival had found out he had a half-sister and Seto himself had found yet another piece of the ancient past that Yugi and he shared. _What a month, _he thought again as he sat with said piece of the past on a picnic blanket on the grounds of his mansion.

"Thanks for having me over, Seto," Kisara Hammond said with a smile. "I'm sorry I was so late."

"You don't have to apologize," he said somewhat formally. "Kisara, you're actually the first girl I've had here like this. But we have to talk about this."

"You mean what we both know about?" she asked. A couple of weeks previously, they had met when Yugi Muto had tried to kill himself. The young doctor had, in the course of conversation, discussed dreams that she'd had most of her life. Those dreams in fact were shadows of her previous self's short life.

"Yeah. Look, just because we obviously were something in that past life doesn't mean we have to be something here," he stated. His expression softened a little. "Kisara, I'm not opposed to the idea, mind you."

Her white-blonde hair fluttered in the breeze as her bright blue eyes met his. She nodded. "We might look like them, but we aren't them, are we?" At his nod, she continued, "I'm not that poor girl that needed the High Priest's love and protection. And you're hardly that High Priest that became a Pharaoh, right? So we need to deal with who we are now."

He nodded again. "Good way of looking at it. But I've already kissed you."

"So that means we're supposed to be all lovey-dovey?" she returned with a chuckle.

"Yeah, and I'm supposed to take you in my well-muscled arms and make passionate love to you right here," he added, starting to laugh as well.

At that, she fell over cracking up. "And I'm supposed to melt into you and be all starry-eyed as you do it without protection and then rejoice when I find out I'm carrying your child. Sorry, not happening yet!"

The teen CEO managed to stop himself from laughing and looked straight in her eyes. "I want us to get to know each other, really get to know each other, before we decide anything that big. This is our first real date. So where do we start?"

"At the very beginning, Seto," she answered. "I know my mom's going to want to meet you."

"This early?"

"If I don't, she's going to wonder. Don't worry, she had to meet all of Eddie's girlfriends." And with that, the teen doctor and teen CEO enjoyed their picnic lunch.

_And that's the prologue. I hope you are looking forward to the next installment. Until then, please review! Thank you very much!_


	2. Chapter 1: Coffee Cups

Coffee Cups

_Hello again, everyone and welcome to another story in Seto and Kisara's journey. As usual, I don't own _Yu-Gi-Oh _or its related characters. I'm just playing in the sandbox. Thank you._

_**Author's note:**__ This chapter takes place not too long after the events of _Whisper.

Kisara frowned slightly at the rather unsightly collection of coffee cups in Seto's spacious office. Four were clearly corporate property and unused (why did she have to find a spider?!), one had not been properly cleaned and one was also fracturing.

"Are you just randomly looking through there or is there a purpose to the clanking of coffee cups?" Seto asked from his desk. The irritation in his voice made the already cold office a bit colder.

"Oh, sorry, Seto, I was looking to find something for my hot chocolate. Man, it's like Seattle in October out there right now!" Domino's usually tranquil weather had given way to the rain presently lashing across the windows, thanks to the high winds.

Seto glanced out the window. It would seem that he had barely noticed. "Okay, so… you're looking for a coffee cup because you want hot chocolate?"

"Yeah, I need to warm up a little. It's cold in here."

Seto considered that for a moment and got up from the desk. Almost hesitantly, he moved to her and took her hands, rubbing them gently. "Your hands are cold. Is this normal?"

"Yeah. I'm a little sensitive to changes in temp like this. I'll be okay." She smiled at the warmth of his hands against her cold one. When he had rubbed her hands sufficiently and let go, she found she could breathe again. "Thanks, Seto."

He reached past her and picked out a clean and rather pretty china mug from the collection and handed it to her. "Will this do?" When she nodded, he pulled another mug that she hadn't noticed from the cupboard. "I think I'll join you."

"Seto, where did you get that?" she asked, the flash of extremely pale blue catching her eye. In his hand was an oddly misshapen mug, the lip of which tilted down to connect with the rather thick handle. And then she noticed the… teeth? "Is that a Blue Eyes mug?"

Seto nodded, his face softening. "Yeah. Mokuba made it for me when I first started here as CEO. He wanted me to have a Blue Eyes mug. Doesn't look like it, does it?" At her unsure expression, he continued, "He did make this when he was six and it was his first real attempt at pottery."

At this, her now guarded expression relaxed. "I can tell where he was going and for a six-year-old's first attempt, it's not bad. The other thing is that he made this to make his brother smile, didn't he?"

Seto nodded, the softened expression morphing into a gentle smile. "Yeah. I couldn't smile at him a lot of the time, but stuff like that made me feel like the world was still worth staying in."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You know, it's funny. A few years ago I wouldn't have even thought to acknowledge this. But things have changed." Together they made up their hot chocolate as he continued. "If you'd told me a year that I'd be friends with my greatest rival, I'd have told you to check into the psych ward. If you'd even told me I'd have friends and an actual special someone, I'd probably have sent you to Del Amo Hospital for immediate evaluation."

"You realize state law only allows a person to be involuntarily committed if she's a danger to herself or others, right?" she smirked, now sipping her mug of hot chocolate. Seto's eyes widened as his head flew up, and then he laughed. "Seriously, though, would you have tried?"

"No, not really. But I definitely would've questioned your sanity. But… I'm actually glad to have all those people around me."

"I'm glad to have them… and you too." And so they sat down on a couch overlooking the stormy city and sipped their drinks.

_One of my friends described this chapter as Seinfeldian. I hope that's not too off-putting to you, dear readers. I hope you enjoyed this first glimpse into Seto and Kisara's relationship. So please read and review! Thank you and see you next time!_


	3. Chapter 2: The Proposal

Chapter II: The Proposal

_ Greetings again, everyone! Perhaps you're wondering why I'm updating this fic instead of _Jedi League _or one of my other ongoing fics. Quite simply, while editing one fic, inspiration struck for this one! I'd originally intended to show Seto meeting the parents, but I got inspired to show something some time after that meeting took place. I give you Seto's proposal._

_**Disclaimer:**__ I still don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. I just own this story._

_**Author's note: **__This chapter takes place on October 25, 2006 which, in my timeline, is Seto's 19__th__ birthday. This is in keeping with events mentioned in the story I co-wrote with 15animefreak15, _Summer Love, Summer Fears. _Thank you for your attention._

Seto James Kaiba was used to the roar of the crowd. As he strode into Kaiba Corp Stadium, he could feel not only the roar, but the hum of the crowd's collective energy. It had been a good tournament, though admittedly it had been no fun without Yugi or Joey to play against. His opponent, a young man from Chowchilla, stood in the arena, smirking. _Easy kill, _Seto thought. The guy had gotten several easy opponents in Seto's estimation. Heck, Seto felt _he'd_ gotten off easy this tournament. As he strode onto the field, his name being cheered by the full-capacity stadium, he felt the calm he often did in duels.

"So are you ready to go down, Mr. Kaiba?" Tom Tarantino taunted, shuffling his deck before slamming it into a duel disk.

"I should be asking you the same question, Tarantino. I frankly think you had it too easy," Seto countered calmly. He looked up into the audience and in a box close to the field, Mokuba, Kisara and her family were sitting. Her white-blonde hair was in a thick braid today and she'd evidently come straight from work. Her lavender scrubs were still on and she looked a bit sweaty. _I want this to be a win for you, babe. Kisara, whatever happens, my plans are in motion._

And so began the duel between Seto Kaiba and Tom Tarantino. Seto had to smirk when Tarantino pulled out his first monster, Dark Witch. _Probably picked her because she resembles Uma Thurman's character, _he mentally groaned. And with that, Seto summoned his own monster. It was quite a fierce duel, but as had happened with so many opponents, to the CEO of Kaiba Corp, it was no challenge. _Maybe a benefit duel between me, Yugi, Joey and Mai will come later, especially considering the announcement I'm about to make. _He strode to his opponent and shook his hand. "Thank you for the match, Tarantino," he said. Tarantino said the same and strode off the field.

The spotlights focused on Seto and he looked out into the crowd. "Everyone, I am pleased to have won this tournament. Win or lose, this tournament has been my last as a professional duelist." He paused and let the crowd take that in. When the murmur was done, he continued, "While I will duel for charity from time to time, I will no longer duel as I have. This closes one chapter of my life."

He gestured to the stands and Bryce, who'd been sitting with Mokuba and Kisara and her family, stood and helped Kisara from the stands. Her already pale face was more so now and her eyes were wide. "I have someone I'd like the rest of you to get to know. Sorry, Kisara, this is why you didn't get a program." She finally managed a smile and followed Bryce, Mokuba holding her hand. However, Seto caught her firing a look at her family and her father mouthing, _sorry, sweetie, he made us promise._ When she'd gotten down to the field and to him, he gave her the smile he reserved for only a chosen few.

"Everyone, this is Kisara Hammond. She is a general practitioner at Domino Children's Hospital and works in the new Kaiba Free Clinic. Many of you know that she was working there when my friend, Yugi Muto was hospitalized in June. I have found her to be a wonderful person. And if everyone will turn in their programs to the last page, you will find the words to a favorite song of hers."

"Seto, what are you doing?" she asked quietly, face becoming paler.

"Big sister, it's okay," Mokuba soothed, letting go of her hand to stand next to Bryce and Roland. "You'll see. He's worked really hard on this!"

"I did," Seto whispered in her ear, taking her hand. "It's okay, Kisara. Everyone, if you would," he added, raising his voice. The strains of Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" came through the stadium speakers and the crowd began to sing. When the last notes died away, Seto went down on one knee. "Kisara Angela Hammond, I have gotten to know you the past four months. You are beautiful, kind, intelligent and wise and you love my little brother as if he were your own. You may not be a duelist, but you are a very special person to me."

Kisara, for her part, had been awake for 36 hours. She'd been asked to work in the ER and then had her rounds and shift at the free clinic. She'd have liked nothing better than to go home and shower and crawl in bed, but Seto had been planning for this last tournament for the past month. And now she was in a crowd where everyone was looking down on her and the hot lights were beating down. She heard her boyfriend telling her how he felt, but as he continued, her body felt as if it were being weighed down. Seto was right below her, saying… what? Everything was fading to black and she could feel herself falling. She could faintly hear screams, but even that became muffled.

Y

"I am such a moron," Seto muttered an hour later at Domino Children's Hospital. "I didn't even think about how tired she'd be. The best laid plans, I suppose."

"Bro, she's not going to want you beating yourself up," Mokuba sighed. "Besides, she'd be the first to point out that stuff happens, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. But isn't she the one that lectures me about getting enough rest?"

Mokuba sighed. "Don't bring it up except jokingly, Seto. Trust me."

Gigi Hammond, a plump brown-eyed, brown-haired woman, strode into the waiting room to the two boys. "She's okay. They're going to keep her a couple of hours, just to make sure her vitals are normal," Kisara's mother explained. "She's also horribly embarrassed and exhausted, so as soon as they release her, she needs to go home and rest. So please don't get her excited, Seto. She's asking for you."

Seto nodded. "I'm sorry about that, Gigi. I didn't think about…"

"Neither did she. Relax." She glanced down at Mokuba. "Mokuba, would you maybe like to have a treat? I was thinking of getting some ice cream."

Mokuba exchanged glances with his brother and realized what Seto needed. "That sounds good, Gigi. I'll be back, Seto!" He followed Gigi and Seto headed to the cubicle where Kisara's father was waiting.

"She's calm," the large man said. "She's more embarrassed than anything. But finish asking her what you were. I don't think she remembers after you told her how special she was to you." He grinned slightly. "It'll be better without the crowd. Trust me."

Gamely, Seto went into the cubicle. Kisara was sitting up, still looking dazed, but she had more color in her cheeks. "Hey. Sorry about earlier," she apologized before he cut her off.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I should've thought. So… do you remember what was happening when we were in the stadium?"

She nodded. "You had just gone down on one knee in front of a stadium full of people and were telling me what a wonderful person I was. Were you… proposing, by any chance?"

Silence reigned for a moment. "How did you know?"

She managed to get him to come close and pulled him into a hug. "You never do stuff like that. I actually was expecting something a bit more subtle. What possessed you to do it?"

"I thought I should do something surprising. And since it's my birthday and I was announcing my retirement from professional dueling, I thought I might as well ask you to marry me."

"So it was checking off the list?" she asked, a slight smile on her face.

"Well… more like making sure I got what I wanted for my birthday. So, what do you think?"

On anyone else, Seto's expression would've meant that he was uncaring about the outcome. But only a select few in the world knew the look in Seto's eyes was the equivalent of another person sweating. Kisara, being one of those select few, smiled a bit more. "The answer is yes."

_And so ends another chapter. Next time, if my muse is cooperative, I will post Seto's first meeting with Kisara's parents. Thank you for reading and please review! _


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